Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~5,000

Native speakers worldwide

MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS

The Batahira, who breed cattle in the mountains of Wadi Ezdah, east of the road to Thamrit, speak Jibbali (Morris 1983:143, n.1); the inhabitants of the Kuria Muria Islands are fishermen who speak a specific variety of the Jibbali language.

DATE OF INFO

1983-1991; 1994-1995

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Arabic

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

Native speakers use their mother tongue for private purposes, in the family circle and with other speakers of the same language; many a speaker uses several MSAL, when these languages are closely related. When in contact with speakers of other MSAL languages, they resort to Arabic, as with Arabic speakers, because intercomprehension is impossible. Both in Oman and in the Yemen, Arabic is the language used for official intercourse (administration, school, army).

Simeone-Simelle, Marie-Claude. 1997. "The Modern South Arabian Languages." In The Semitic Languages, edited by Robert Hetzron. 378-423. London & New York: Routledge.

HHOLD

~5,000

1983-1991; 1994-1995

1000-9999

The Batahira, who breed cattle in the mountains of Wadi Ezdah, east of the road to Thamrit, speak Jibbali (Morris 1983:143, n.1); the inhabitants of the Kuria Muria Islands are fishermen who speak a specific variety of the Jibbali language.

Government, education, army

Arabic

Native speakers use their mother tongue for private purposes, in the family circle and with other speakers of the same language; many a speaker uses several MSAL, when these languages are closely related. When in contact with speakers of other MSAL languages, they resort to Arabic, as with Arabic speakers, because intercomprehension is impossible.
Both in Oman and in the Yemen, Arabic is the language used for official intercourse (administration, school, army).